


Scratches in the Sand

by waterfallliam



Category: Proxy Series - Alex London
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, basically ~3k of fluffy feels inspired by a post on tumblr!!, mentions of Marie, takes place after guardian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 17:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4146900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterfallliam/pseuds/waterfallliam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Reconciliation fell, but Syd and Liam are building a new life for themselves together. When Liam realises he wants to learn how to read and write, Syd is happy to help...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scratches in the Sand

**Author's Note:**

> okay so this fic was inspired by a text post on tumblr: "but why isn’t there any proxy fanfiction where syd teaches liam how to read and write." (posted here: skeletor-but-for-reals.tumblr.com/post/121409665959)  
> also look at this amazing piece of fanart inspired by this fic!! annatries.tumblr.com/post/121767427499 !!  
> hope you enjoy ~3k of sydliam fluff!
> 
> edit april 2018: idk if this is news to anyone but if you sign up for alex london's mailing list on his website you can download the offical short story sequel for guardian and uh its a lot and i love liam with all my heart

Liam stared at the cracked screen in front of him, the lines of letters staring back at him. His metal hand didn't shake as he tried to scratch the letter A into the sand, nor did it shake when it ended up misshapen. Liam wondered how it was that his hand that was so good at killing, was so unskilled when it came to writing. All he could manage was wiggly imitations of letters.

It had been about a month since the Reconciliation had fallen, and the survivors were slowly starting to adapt to yet another new world. They all hoped that it would work this time.

The sun beat down relentlessly, making the sweat on Liam's back glisten. The next A looked better than the last three, if only a tiny bit, and Liam felt his lips curl upwards.

"Hey," a shadow fell across Liam's hands and arms. He looked up, squinting slightly. It was Syd.

"Hey yourself," Liam smiled. Syd sat down beside him, and Liam was suddenly hyper aware of his bare chest. It had been so hot when he'd been working earlier, and since most of his fellow workers had also abandoned their shirts, he'd barely thought anything of it. Now Syd's skin was warm against his, the fabric of his t-shirt a thin barrier between them.

"How was your day?" Liam asked, turning to face Syd.

"Same old, same old," Syd said, pulling a face. Liam took Syd's hand in his left one, and brushed his thumb across Syd's knuckles.

"It'll be okay," Liam said, "this time we're gonna do it right."

"Yeah," Syd agreed, squeezing Liam's hand. Liam felt himself starting to blush, and he ducked his head.

"You've not cut your hair in a while, must get hot," Syd commented, running his free hand through Liam's red hair. His deft, dark brown fingers worked through the knots in it.

"It's never been long," Liam mumbled as he leaned into Syd's touch, eyes fluttering shut. Syd hummed in reply.

"So," Syd hesitated before asking, "you trying to teach yourself how to read and write?"

"Yes," Liam answered.

"You want some help?" Syd said softly. Liam pulled away to look into Syd's eyes. Those big, beautiful, brown eyes.

"You offering?"

"Yeah," Syd replied, his free hand instinctively reaching to touch his birthmark. But with no biodata, it wouldn't stay there forever. Syd found that he didn't particularly mind - all that it had given him had been trouble and death, anyway.

"Then I would," Liam said as he leaned in for a kiss. But then again, now, Syd's life consisted of significantly less trouble.

"Good," Syd breathed before closing the distance between them. Liam's lips were soft beneath his and his breath was warm. Syd cupped Liam's cheek with his free hand, pressing himself close to Liam. The kiss was slow and languid, both of them enjoying the fact that they could take their time, that they were able to take it as slow or as fast as they liked.

Syd's t-shirt rubbed against Liam's chest, the fabric rough against his pockmarked skin, and Liam's breath hitched. Syd deepened the kiss. Liam hummed as his other arm circled around Syd's waist, his metal hand cupping the small of Syd's back. Syd's beard tickled Liam's face, and soon Liam couldn't keep his giggles in anymore.

"This is nice," Syd murmured when the broke apart.

"Yeah," Liam agreed, squeezing Syd's hand again.

Pink stained Liam's cheeks, and he quickly kissed the corner of Syd's mouth. Their noses bumped together, and Syd let out laugh. Still holding onto Syd, Liam turned back to the tablet on the ground.

"I can't get my A's to stop looking wiggly," Liam sighed, needlessly pointing to the scratches in the ground with his left hand.

"Hmm," Syd hummed, "with which hand have you been writing?"

"With my right," Liam answered, frowning. Syd laid his left hand over Liam's metal one, cocking his head on one side.

"Have you tried writing with your left?"

"No," Liam replied. He picked up his stick with left hand.

"Here," Syd picked up a stick, "it helps to hold it like this." Liam mirrored Syd's grip, and tried a few experimental scratches.

"This feels..." Liam trailed off, looking at Syd again.

His pale blue eyes glistened in the evening sun, the corners crinkled with excitement, and Syd's heart skipped a beat. He cupped Liam's left hand with his right one, and guided it through the motions of writing an A.

"This is an A," Syd said.

"An A," Liam repeated softly, a smile playing on his lips.

Before the reboot, most people hadn't bothered learning how to write manually. It had been a trend with patrons for a while, which had explained their neat scratches on the fake proxy contract he's signed what felt like half a lifetime ago. Whilst there had been no need for it in the Valve, Syd had taught himself how to. Mainly because it as good practice for honing the fine motor skills in his hand.

Soon, Syd mused, he might have to teach more people how to write manually. There wasn't a  network to send messages with anymore, and no more computers to type things up with.

Liam's apparent ease could be explained by the fact that he was naturally left handed. With time and effort he could probably learn to write with both hands - they were both skilled at other things, anyway.

"Thanks," Liam said, giving Syd a quick peck on the cheek.

 ---

Over the next few weeks the foundations for a new society continued to be built and Syd often came home with a headache and more than a handful of angry complaints. Liam listened to him rant, sparred and trained with him, and there was usually time left at the end of the evening for Liam to practice his letters while Syd helped - even if Syd sometimes distracted Liam more than he helped him.

"I was thinking," Liam said, idly tracing circles into Syd's arm. Syd's face was buried in Liam's hair, his breath warm against Liam's skull .Syd hummed for him to go on.

"I can write most of the letters easily now, and well, I was hoping we could start with reading today?"

"Sure," Syd replied, slowly detaching his arms from where they had latched around Liam. He tapped their cracked pad a few times, and a text with a large font appeared.

Liam reached out and took the pad in both hands before clearing his throat.

"On-c-e th-ir w-w-as...once t-h-air was," Liam stumbled over the words at first, but then he started to recognise some of them. Syd had practiced the sounds of individual letters with Liam as he'd learned how to write them.

"Good," Syd said, giving Liam quick peck on the lips when he finished the first sentence. Liam beamed at him.

Liam continued to read slowly, and Syd helped him whenever he couldn't figure a word out. They started with relatively simple texts, reading the children's books stored on the pad first. Liam improved slowly, mastering the harder combinations of vowels and consonants one by one, his confidence growing with every passing day.

"Close your eyes," Syd said one evening as they were sitting outside, just far away enough from the nearest bonfire to go unnoticed, and more importantly, undisturbed. There were still many people who sought out Yovel, hoping to thank him or touch him or fall down at his feet. Syd mostly tried to keep to himself outside of work.

"Here, I made something for you," Syd said, pressing something hard and smooth into Liam's hands. It clinked against his metal hand.

"Feels like glass," Liam murmured, wondering where Syd would've gotten something like a glass jar. After the first revolution a lot of things made of glass had been smashed and used as weapons, leaving few glass containers intact.

"Open your eyes," Syd smiled. Liam let out a slight gasp - it was glass!

"Very lux, am I right?" Syd joked, making use of Liam's momentary speechlessness.

Liam carefully held the jar in his left hand, and examined its contents. What appeared to be metal letters jostled around inside when he shook it gently. Liam unscrewed the lid slowly and picked out the letter closest to the top. Syd smiled faintly at the clicking noise Liam's fingers made against the metal.

Syd had been working on the letters since Liam had expressed his wish to learn to read and write. It had been hard to find time between rebuilding society and spending time with Liam, but finding scrap metal laying around had been easy. After that, he'd spent his breaks working on the different letters of the alphabet, and it was good luck that he'd found the jar while scavenging - it looked, and felt, a lot nicer than a box. The remaining sunlight reflected off the various metal letters, little rainbows spilling all over the ground around them and all over Liam.

"I... I don't quite know what to say," Liam looked up and his eyes met Syd's, "thank you."

"I was thinking you could use them to practice," Syd said, and Liam nodded thoughtfully.

"This is an M," Liam said, setting the jar and the lid down on the floor between them.

"Yes," Syd said, "what words do you know that begin with M?"  Liam opened his mouth, his eyebrows raised again.

"I mean," Syd interjected quickly, "that you can also write?" Liam shut his mouth again and frowned.

"Marie," Liam said, tracing the letters of his friend's name in the air with his finger.

"Good," Syd encouraged, leaning forward and giving Liam a kiss on his nose. Liam laughed as his face turned red.

"Um," Liam muttered, "em... em, em... motor!" He traced the letters in the air again. Syd nodded.

"Mud," Liam said, smiling. He still had flecks of it all over himself from his day's toil.

"Very good, we can start with syllables tomorrow if you want" Syd said and leaned forward to kiss him on the lips chastely.

"Sure," Liam continued as they broke apart, a smile on his face, "and speaking of mud, I need a shower."

"So do I," Syd agreed, "let's go home." Liam put the letter M in the jar, screwed it shut and placed it by their bed as soon as they got home.

"We'll do some more later?" Liam asked as he got out some clean clothes for them.

"Sure," Syd replied, looking at Liam fondly.

That evening they stayed up late, Liam crouched over the ground as he scratched as many words as he could remember into it. Syd helped him when he couldn't spell them properly, and by the time the sun set they were in bed, curled up in each other's arms, safe and sound.

\---

One day, when Syd came home after a particularly gruelling day full of discussions with Marie and the other newly elected representatives of the people, he was in for a surprise.  

As soon as Syd entered his and Liam's home, he noticed that Liam had lit a couple of candles, casting a soft light over their table where he'd already laid out their evening meal.

"Liam?" Syd called, a smile creeping onto his face.

"Syd?!" A thump came from behind the curtain that split their bedroom from their main living area and kitchen. "Marie said you wouldn't be back until later - I'll be just a minute."

"Okay," Syd laughed.

Liam started to panic but caught hold himself again quickly. _Waterfall,_ he thought, letting the panic and anxiety clogging up his brain leak out of him. _Waterfall, waterfall._ He was calm. He was in control. This was going to be the best meal Syd had ever had.

Liam emerged from behind the curtain three minutes later, looking handsome in his clean clothes and freshly cut hair. Syd was stunned for a second, overcome by just how attracted he was to his boyfriend in that moment.

Liam felt himself starting to blush at the intensity of Syd's stare.

"Happy three month anniversary," Liam said, finally walking towards the table. One arm was behind his back, but Syd was too overwhelmed to notice.

"You... did all this?" Syd asked, searching for something to say.

"Well, Marie helped a bit," Liam admitted, "but yes, most of it." Liam smiled shyly. Syd reached out to take Liam's hands in his, and Liam pulled his hand out from behind his back.

"I - I know it's not much, but it's for you," Liam whispered, cheeks aflame. He pressed the rough paper into Syd's outstretched hands.

The thick texture of the paper was a new feeling for Syd - he hadn't been to see the experimental paper presses yet. The new council had decided to take a step away from technology for now, at least until the memory of biodata had faded and people believed in technology helping to create a better future again.

So they turned to the old ways of doing things: paper and pencils, carts instead of hovercars - no more reprogramming the human condition. But they did keep some things: their pads full of accumulated human knowledge, advanced water filtration and medical equipment raided from the houses of the formerly rich. A new society was being born in the crumbling remains of a splintered world. Syd hoped that they would not fall apart like the Reconciliation had.

Syd carefully unfolded the paper, his mouth opening slightly as he saw that it was full of large, legible, yet ugly looking words. The handwriting was unmistakeably Liam's.

"You.." Syd trailed off, and Liam's blush deepened. Syd hadn't noticed Liam sitting down, but he was now very aware of Liam's eyes staring into his. A candlelit dinner. A letter that was probably romantic. A strong, brave and handsome boyfriend. Syd almost felt like he was dreaming. He turned his gaze back to the paper in his hands.

_syd_

_there is nothing i would not do for you_

_i love you_

_liam_

Syd could feel tears pricking his eyes at the tremendous gesture. Every carefully drawn letter, the time Liam must have spent practicing so that he could get it right on paper, and that he wanted to write it, not say it, as if it might somehow make it more permanent - Syd felt a coil of warmth unfurl in his belly, filling him up. He had only felt like this once before, when Liam had promised him that he would not suffer alone - and he hadn't - but he'd been too taken by the sickness to really feel it, let alone to feel it fill him up.

"I love you," Syd said, folding the paper and placing it on the table. He stood up and walked around their table. Within seconds he was staring down at Liam's face - at Liam's handsome, freckled and still flushed face.

He could remember when he'd found Liam's nose odd for all the times it had been broken, his eyes pale and watery with indecision, his body only a honed weapon. But that felt like so long ago. Now all he could see was Liam. Smart, courageous Liam who would protect him from all the pain the world had to offer if Syd let him.

"I love you," Syd said it again, but more quietly this time. He reached out a hand to cup Liam's cheek, rubbing the pad of his thumb over Liam's warm skin. Those pale blue eyes stared at Syd as Liam stood up. Suddenly he was taller than Syd.

Syd bit his bottom lip to hide his smile, but judging by Liam's matching one he'd failed. Liam pressed his forehead against Syd's, his eyes closing for just a second as he twined his arms around Syd.

"I love you," Liam said, his voice rough with emotion. Syd's gaze flickered to Liam's lips and a split second later they were kissing, slowly and affectionately, their faces bathed in the warm glow of the candlelight.

Liam held Syd in his arms, he tasted him on his lips, and his head was full of thoughts of him. So independent, so smart, so beautiful... he meant every word in his letter. After years of blood and dust and yet more blood Liam often thought the ferocity with which he loved Syd, with which he loved his new life, was more than understandable. Liam's hands moved to Syd's hips and his grip tightened. He clung onto Syd, he clung onto the moment as if it would slip through his fingers at any second. He wasn't wrong - all moments end.

"Liam," Syd muttered between kisses, "aren't you hungry?" And as if on cue Liam's stomach rumbled. Syd pulled away with a slight chuckle, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"By the sound of things you are!" Syd exclaimed and tickled Liam's stomach.

"Syd," Liam laughed, trying to swat Syd's hand away. Syd just laughed again, pulling away. Liam huffed, a smile playing on his lips. Then he sat down again.

After Liam motioned for Syd to do the same he reached for the home grown bread - it was still a bit burnt around the edges, but soft and fluffy inside. He handed half of it to Syd who was sitting again. They ate around their smiles in silence for a few minutes.

"Where'd you get the candles?" Syd asked.

"Marie..." Liam paused, "I thought it'd be romantic."

"It is," Syd smiled.

\---

"Hey, sleepyhead," Liam's voice interrupted Syd's dream.

"Morning," Syd yawned, squinting at the brightness. Liam's face swam into view. He was smiling, his nose almost touching Syd's own nose. Liam cupped Syd's face with his hands, one warm and the other slightly cool.

Liam kissed Syd softly, not caring that Syd hadn't brushed his teeth yet. Syd smiled, and held Liam's hands in his.

"What was that for?" Syd whispered.

"To say good morning," Liam blushed, "I'm off to work - enjoy your day off."

"Thanks," Syd mumbled, his eyelids already drooping. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was Liam's smiling face.

Syd got up a couple of hours later and made his way to the kitchen for some water. He beamed when he saw the letters Liam had left out on the table for him:

_love u_

_x_


End file.
